Tonight I say "Luuuuuuuu" with the rest of you.

Tonight Canada’s hopes and dreams rest on the shoulders of a small group of guys named everything from Iggy to Lu to The Kid. Make no mistake, even as a lifelong supporter of amateur athletes, I understand that when it all boils away, the only thing that is left is hockey.

And I’m okay with that.

Do you know why? Because we EXPECT to win the Hockey Gold Medal. Both Men’s and Women’s. We believe we can win, we show up to win and we are heartbroken if we do not.

A few days ago the first reports started surfacing that the Canadian team would surely fall short of their medal target, and undoubtedly finish below first place in the overall standings. The truth of the matter is: the Americans are killing us, so are the Germans, not to mention Norway and Russia, with Korea nipping at everyone’s heels.

I saw a number of “on the street” interviews, y’know, those deadline driven clips where the reporter basically stops anyone who looks like they can form a sentence and asks them a question way over their head.

One lady had this to say, “Oh, you know, it’s just nice to see Canadians at the Games, having fun. No matter what the medal tally, we’re still proud of them.”

WHAT?! I dare say that this is part of the problem. Canadian complacency. It is our inability to stand up on the world stage and fight for the top of the podium. Or at least have the attitude that when we show up at any competition, of any type, we are there to win. Expecting to be the best.

Too long we have questioned if we’re good enough, if we should even be so presumptuous as to be anything more than just “proud of our athletes”. Yes we ARE good enough. A lackluster medal tally should highlight the fact that the only thing missing is a little tooth and nail.

So tonight, when we drop the puck with the “dreaded” Russians, who have only ok defence, no more fire power on the front end, and a way less competent goaltender, remember the feeling of being unafraid and confident. And do everything else in your life that way because being Canadian isn’t just about being polite and gracious, it’s about kicking ass too.